A: Dark black and somewhat syrupy with a nice fluffy brown head about an qaurter in thick. The head retention is very good but there is no lacing.

S: It smells just like PB&J! It has the mild peanut butter flavor followed by some crusty wheat bread(i eat mine on wheat) and then there is the sweetness from the raspberry and grape jelly! Some may not enjoy this because it is different than lots of beers out there but this one brought out the kid in me.(even though i am still pretty young)

T: Again just like PB&J. The jelly is up front with lots of fruity sweetness and then it finishes with a nice Peanut Butter note in the finish.

M: There is a slight bit of harshness to this and it is a bit light, but there is some creaminess as well.

D: At first just a little bit went a long way but the more I start sipping it the more i was enjoying it. One bottle at a time is very tasty but i cant wait to try it again

Poured from a 12oz bottle into two small snifters. Thanks to HeatherAnn for the assist! Extra special thanks to Randalld for this from our recent trade!

A: Pours a rich, stout-y black with a slight hint of garnet at the extreme edges. A gentle pour netted a bubbly, 1-finger head that quickly settled down into a thick creamy ring that is dark khaki in color. Much lace remained.

T: Tastes exactly as it smells. The berry comes on right away and stays almost until the finish where the peanut flavor shines.

M: Tart and tangy. Lots of fresh berry. I was hoping for a bit more roasted nut and/or stout feel...but who's complaining?

D: We weren't quite sure what to make of this when I told Heather I had a couple bottle of this coming in a trade. When the box showed up and she read the label and said, "I bet they blended it with Soft Parade!". Soft Parade is one of her all-time favorites. What an interesting beer! We've never had anything like it. Shorts, please come to IL.

A: Pours with little to no head with a hard pour. The beer is a dark black with slight ruby undertones

S: This beers smells like the first bite of a PB&J when you are young. Dry roasted peanuts and strawberry jam

T: Starts with a nice roasty stout with subtle chocolaty undertones. When this beer warms slightly the roasted peanut comes through strong. There are berry undertones running all through this beer while never being cloyingly sweet.

M: Creamy and rich

D:If you like peanuts and berries this beer is for you.

Overall this beer is another shining example of Joe Short's willingness to brew off the wall beers and completely nailing them. I strongly recommend trying this unique beer.

A: Pouring aggressively a chocolate milk head appeared but dissipated quickly leaving little lacing. Had a dark red hue that I could just barely see through

S: Smell was ridiculously awesome! Exactly what I think of as a peanut butter and jelly. I can smell the bread crumbs left on my plate!

T: Wow! This is sour? Doesn't taste as much like a PB&J like it smells but dam near close enough. I don't get to much of the stout in this which I wish it had but the flavor of a sour deep strawberry is more than welcomed.

M&D: With the awesome amount of surprising sour in this beer my mouth is still left with a slightly slick feeling maybe from the peanut butter stout I could actually chug this. My lady actually did do that. She absolutely loved it and is begging for more already. Awesome beer! love the idea and the experience is something to remember

A: Pours a dark brown with a very active head. The head is an interesting coloured light brown with a purple hue (unless it's just the lighting and my head). Head looks almost soda-like, with very little retention.

S: Smell is of tart grapes, and a rich chocolate-malt scent. Caramel malt, spicy rye. I really like the rye character in this one. Smells a bit like a sexed-up NG Old English Porter.

T: Smacks you up front with the lactic sourness, grape skins. Moves along to a light darker malt & chocolate profile. The sourness then comes back for a bit, before the rye make its presence well known near the finish. A good degree of alcohol in the finish--I wonder how this would age... Lingering puckery sourness with the fruity/spicy rye lingers in the mouth long into the finish.

M: A bit lighter than expected, and with very active carbonation (which works better with the sourness than it does with the darker malt and rye).

D: Not quite as well rounded as I was hoping, which I think might have something to do with being a little drier than expected. Alcohol heat is a bit of an issue, but I'll overlook it for the interesting flavour profile.

A- Pours a darker deep brown color. Reddish hues show on the sides of the glass when held up to the light. One finger light brown head shows poor retention. Light streaky lacing on the sides of the glass. I have begun to accept the fact that Short's fruit beers will never produce the nice head I am looking for.

S- Lots of strawberry and hints of grape jelly! I mean lots of it when it's cold. Letting this beer warm up you can get more hint of peanuts which make my mouth water. There is a light roast in this but it is really in the background. Also, some raspberry might be detected but I might be wanting to smell that!

T- Boat loads of strawberry and grape jelly combo. There is a light sourness with this that works well with the flavor profile. Some light roasted malts in the middle of the beer gives off actually more of a toasted flavor I would say. Backend is mostly peanut flavor...like I just ate a mouthful of peanuts. A pretty good flavor of a PB & J once the beer warms up.

M- Medium light mouthfeel. Carbonation is low but works very well with the beer. Lots of jelly like flavors left on the palate. Roasted peanuts with slight roast to this from the malts and of course some more of the sourness from the jelly flavor in the aftertaste. Flavors were balanced I thought for the style...which in itself was a odd combo. Light drying on the palate from the alcohol. Clean flavors as well...with nothing off putting.

D- This beer to me was fantastic. A nice experimental beer that seems to be dead on to me at least to what it is suppose to be. I really enjoyed the lack of alcohol that came through with this beer that would have killed a little bit of flavor. I would love to drink a sixer of this but one at a time is good for now.

I drank this awhile back I am just updating my reviews from Hopcat's night of Short's. Thanks Hopcat for being an awesome bar.

I rate this beer a 5 on taste. It's not because I think the taste is perfection but rather because I feel like this beer was EXACTLY as advertised.

A: Dark, Nice tan head. looks like a stout.

S: this was not like a stout, it smelled of rich roasted nuts, burn malt, and grapes.

T: PB & J, Joe has done it again. This Beer tastes of malts, nuts, and jelly. I let my friend have a sip without prior knowledge of what I was drinking and he said "what am I drinking a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich?" The flavors are right on.

M: full, good carbonation. A little better than average mouth feel.

D: I could have drank more of these, the limiting factor to me would be the odd taste. I mean it was good but sometimes I want my stouts to taste like stouts. This did not do that. It wasn't advertised as that.

Smell is a bit fruity, but as the head dissipates it becomes much more bitter.

First sip is pretty fun. I've had both the Uber Goober and the Soft Parade separately, which are both very good beers as is. Combined together they make a very intriguing beer. It really does live up to the name of Peanut Butter and Jelly. There are qualities of both sets of ingredients that survive enough to be easily recognizable by the palate. Mouthfeel is present and very lively, with a good level of carbonation present.

Another very good beer by Shorts. Get this one before it goes out of season!

I was really scared to be honest going into this one. Not really sure what to think, but hey you gotta try it right? 12oz bottle was served chilled and poured into a pint glass, consumed on 01/22/2010.

The pour was magnificent and about what would be come normal for these shorts stouts. Rich dark brown, nearly black in color with a huge head of tan that came right up and sat effortlessly on the top of the glass. Smooth, and rounding down in coated the glass with tons of lacing. Aroma is sharp, sour raspberries and strawberries with only a touch of light peanut and sweet notes mixed in. Really did not think this would be as sour as it turned out to be. As I took the first sip I was blown away. The flavors mixed soo smoothly and evenly I was in heaven. Subtle notes of peanut butter, caramel, and sweet malts lay hidden under a puckeringly sour fruit flavor. Superb. Rich, creamy feel and a light dry finish left me looking around for more the second I finished it.

0verall wow. I was scared of the name but the concept is priceless. I love fruit stouts, and this is superb.

From notes: Deep brown pour with red highlights and a light tan head - aromas of, well, peanut butter and jelly. Roast, peanuts , strawberries and blueberries. Mild spicy rye in the background. First sip brings fruit to the forefront and the peanut and roast with dark malt comes through on the way down. Mellow rye as it melds very wonderfully overall. Great balance and a great blend. Medium bodied good carbonation. Easy to drink and extremely unique. Glad I cracked this one fresh!

I have the good fortune of being in Michigan visiting my parents for Christmas right when all of these new Short's bottles are appearing on shelves. Picked up a sixer of PB&J in Ann Arbor this week. Pours an unassuming brown with tan head. Smells and tastes of...peanuts and fruit. Pretty amazing. I was skeptical of how this would come off, after having a pretty nasty peanut butter beer by another brewer at GABF, but this turned out delicious. The peanut butter and jelly flavors aren't over the top, and are perfectly complemented by the mouthfeel, which is neither too thick nor too watery. With an ABV that isn't too high, I find this to be a highly drinkable beverage. I may have to pick up more to take back to Denver with me.

Just received in trade from regular trading partner erikkoppin. Thanks again have been wanting for some time and ready to rock...

A- A very deep and intriguing brown color with a ruby hue that reminds me of a solid looking porter. Has a nice amount of carb with an off-white/light brownish head almost a light khaki color. Looks pretty solid, but kind of wish the stout color came out more from the blending.

S- Holy shit! I am immediately transformed into kindergarten on mystery meat day at lunch. I have packed my lunch and mom has provided me with a kick ass smuckers and jam pb&j. It's shocking that it smells like light peanut butter and a sweet strawberry jam with a touch of grape in the back. As it warms more and more fruits come to the senses in a sweet blend of blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and grapes tingle in my nostrils it smells intoxicatingly sweet almost to the point of weird. Definitely smells like it's intended to, fantastic.

T- Right away I get a pop of slightly sweet and bitter peanut butter a very sharp opening taste that is very welcoming. As the brew is swished around I get a blast of fruit explosion in the finish. The sweetness of strawberry, raspberry and blackberry with a tiny tartness of grape is overwhelming. I am falling in love with a new dessert beer. A slight warming reveals a new wave of peanut butter and a touch of roasted malts and an unexpected pull back of fruit sweetness more bitter and roasted than fruity. Every sip seems to change, make sure to swirl this beauty before each sip! Simply astonishing.

M- A tad too thin almost, but not exactly watery. I am not getting any chalkiness just a thin coating and a rather thin feel that is a little underwhelming. Not what I expected with the stout blended, but not too bad.

D- This is a great desert beer, that is a little overly sweet, but still absolutely fantastic. It's definitely not sessionable because the odd mixture of flavors in each sip is palate wrecking to a certain point. Still great.

I don't understand why this brew gets knocked. It's great fresh I can see if it was infected, but this one is right on as intended and amazing. Keep them coming Shorts!

Opaque with the colour of dark coffee and a deep caramel head. A malty sent of rye hoovers around the rim of the glass while the definite smell of roasted nuts runs up and through the nose as wisps of berries swirl after. The fruity upfront taste is subdued in a matter of seconds by the much more powerful roasted stout after taste. While I am by no means a stout lover, this rates up there with one of the best I have yet tried mostly due to it's berry presence, which takes the edge off the ground coffee taste I find displeasing in many stouts.
Cheers...

Once again, eyebrews to the rescue! Now, when I heard this beer was a blend of Uber Goober and Soft Parade, I was a little concerned because I wasn't too keen on Soft Parade. But with a name like PB&J... you gotta pull the trigger.

Black pour with fizzy head. That soon settles down into a thin rim.

Tons of berries in the nose, a la Soft Parade, but there are those ballpark peanuts prevalent in Uber Goober. Hmm. It is what it says, but that has me a little on edge since I didn't love these two beers.

Wow! Does this ever taste like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. How the hell do they do it? Roast, white bread crust, strawberry preserves... delicious!

Lots of carbonation and a dry finish. Another winner! This MI brewery is just so unique, forward-thinking and fresh... Short's is now my favorite brewery. Sorry Surly... Short's only looks out for me!

12oz bottle, an extra from Wadsey. I'd heard of this beer but wasn't sure even what style to expect, now I can see that it's like a black and tan, but in this case a stout and fruit ale. More specifically, a peanut butter stout and a fruit rye ale.

The beer is dark murky brown color, opaque but hinting at turgid, with a dirty brown large celled foam on top. Looks like Mississippi river water, including the soapy foam you sometimes see on the surface. The aroma is peanut butter, I've never smelled anything quite like this in a beer before. Underneath that is some roasted malt, but I don't notice any fruit until I taste it. Strangely, this tastes a lot like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, very well named. Sort of tart from the fruit, not really sour but a little puckering, only a touch of rye spiciness, and a long roasted peanut aftertaste. There's a lot of carbonation giving a peppery mouthfeel, otherwise a medium mouthfeel. Overall a very good novelty beer, not something to go after too often but cool to try. Thanks Clint for the opportunity!

12 oz. bottle poured into a chalice. This is a dark brown/black color, but some light manages to make its way through.

Smell is fairly sweet, with some sour/tart hints of cherries, grapes, and maybe raspberries. It is difficult to take much else out of it.

Taste is sweet/tart up front with hints of cherries, strawberries, and grapes. Finish is heavier and bitter with peanut noticeable. Not much in terms of alcohol presence, and fairly drinkable. Mouthfeel is light to medium.

This is a very unique beer that does indeed have the mixed flavors of PB&J. Pretty interesting.

Pours pitch black and completely opaque without even the slightest bit of lighter color when held to a light source and a massive frothy three finger light beige head with excellent retention, only slowly fading into a lasting cap that leaves large chunks of soapy lacing behind.

Slightly roasty aroma with a lot of toasty dark malt accompanied by some roasted nut and dark fruit. There's a strong dark chocolate malt presence along with some oatmeal and licorice. It's surprising how well the peanut and dark berry "jelly" elemts come through in the nose. The jelly characteristic is much stronger than the roasted nut. Lots of strawberry, raspberry, bluberry, etc.

Softly carbonated medium body with lots of dark/burnt roasted malt and sweet dark berry. Lots of deep roasted dark chocolate and coffee bean along with some prominent oatmeal and roasted nut. As in the aroma, the jelly elements are most prominent. Lots of sweet light fruit, especially strawberry, blueberry, blackberry and raspberry. Slightly tart with some earthy lactic funk. These later flavors overpower the roasted chocolate malt, oatmeal and peanut making this beer more jelly than anything. This beer is pretty tasty and one of the better offerings that Short's has bottled recently. I recently learned that this beer is a blend of the Uber Goober and Soft Parade. I actually disliked both of those beers, especially the Soft Parade(which is very prominent in this blend) but I'm enjoying this quite a bit.

t - surprisingly balanced and tasty beer, as you might expect, a very strong peanut butter flavor mixed with strawberry and raspberry preserves, notes of spice on the finish along with a lingering peanut and strawberry flavor, slight alcohol presence

Dark brown appearance with hints of crimson and approx. 1/4" of tan head. Aroma = peanut butter sandwich. perhaps a slight vegetal note, but I haven't had any truly negative experiences with this beer. Flavor is nutty, earthy. Roasted peanuts with a sweet, sugary, jam character. PB&J in a glass, as advertised. Really fun to try and best in small doses.

A - pours a murky brown, letting some red light through the edges, a small beige head that holds fairly well.

S - highly roasted peanuts dominate, some coffee, some fruit tartness. I suppose this is what PB & J would smell like.

T - The fruit is a bit tart, and it's what hits you first. The peanut butter is unmistakable, however, and is a nice follow to the fruitiness of the front of this beer. It's an odd dynamic, but definitely captures a PJ & B quite well.

M - It's fairly full and thick, but the tart acidity makes it kind of confused and less than desirable.

D - Because this beer is so interesting, I think it is pretty darn drinkable. It's not too powerful, and the tastes don't linger in a way that precludes you from drinking it easily.

Conclusion: This is a peculiar beer, and if it were not marketed as JP & B, I'd be confused and probably not like it much. However, since I know what's going on, and I think it's a pretty good imitation of a food in a beer, this is absolutely worth trying.

Bottle purchased at some store in Ann Arbor that we walked to after the JP Lambicus release.

Pours a dark brown color with cherry highlights.

Smell is amazing. Holy crap! I got a hint of nuts with Uber Goober, but this is actually a PB&J sandwich. The fruit from the Soft Parade cuts the nuttiness perfectly.

Taste is OK. Smell was better. Decent nutter butter but too bitter with the straw/blue/raspberries. The good qualities of Uber and Soft combine nicely, but the bad qualities of each are just too much. Complex but flawed. A novelty after all.

Toasted, bready malts up front along with roasted coffee and dark chocolate bitterness. Peanut butter comes in mid-palate, slightly more restrained than in the straight-up uber goober. Slightly earthy, peaty roasted malt segues into pleasant bitterness. Underneath it all is a slightly tangy berry juice that provides a nice contrast to the rest of the flavors. Medium body with a bit too much fizziness in the feel; if this were creamier it would be better (IMO). Interesting and tasty!

Appearance: Poured absolutely pitch black, as dark as the night. I expected to see some hints of Soft Parade, but this is all stout. Completely opaque, no edges, no light peeking through at all. The head was big and frothy at first, about two fingers. It receded a bit but stuck around for the ride.

Smell: It really does smell like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Roasted malts play in with the peanuts. Follow by the fruits, specifically strawberry and raspberry.

Taste: Similar to the smell, but the berries come in to play first. The berries are tangy and almost a bit sour. The peanuts and roasted malts come in after that. I actually expected the fruit here to be a bit more subtle. On the finish there is a trace of biting citrus bitterness. All the flavors are thoroughly enjoyable, but it just doesn't seem to be the best of marriages. Instead of flowing together it seems like they fight each other a bit.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied. Sharp, tingling carbonation that seems off for a stout. It can probably be chalked up to the Soft Parade blended in.

Drinkability: One of, if not thee, most interesting beer I've had yet. It's quite tasty, but as I mentioned before the combination of all these flavors is a bit rough. It's just a little too busy and sweet.

Overall I've found you never know quite what to expect when you try a beer from Short's. It's best to leave any preconceptions at the door. I do wish I would have picked up more of this when it was available. It's like nothing else out there.